Witnessed
by AwkwardlyMavis
Summary: Carter was always in the wrong place at the wrong time, but it had never put her in this much danger. She never meant to get in the way of a kidnapping, but luck's never been on her side, which is how she ended up a hostage… with One Direction.
1. Wrong place, wrong time

_A.N: Hey everyone, Maeve here, with yet another One Direction fan fiction. I had this idea just today, and thought I'd try it out. It's something a bit different to the usual fanfics you see about 1D. It could be a little less appropriate, so I might consider changing the rating later on. I'm not sure, but anywho, So, please read! And I'd love to know what you think, should I keep going with it? Hope you like it. – Maeve _

"Mum! I'm fine, I promise," I sighed into my phone, struggling to balance it along with my bag and cup of steaming hot chocolate. "Yes. No, I'll be home soon. Fifteen minutes tops. Yeah, see you then. Okay, I love you too Mum."

I hung up and slid my iPhone into my bra for safe keeping. I rearranged my belongings into an easier position and hurried to cross the road. I was in a pretty deserted part of town; barely anyone was around at this time of the day. But it was the quickest way home, and I didn't mind the peace and quiet.

Just as I thought this, I rounded a corner to the screeching of tires against bitumen. I flattened myself against the wall, praying to go unnoticed. An electrician's van came to a sharp halt, the doors flying open. A figure all in black jumped out and started pacing, talking loudly on a mobile phone.

"Yeah, yeah, I've got them," his voice was gruff and had a slight accent I couldn't place. "All five of them. Don't worry, we'll get a good price on them. Do you have any idea how famous these guys are?"

He looked up at the sound of pounding feet, coming from somewhere behind me.

"Shit," I cursed under my breath, pushing further back into the bricks.

"Took you long enough," the man shouted, throwing up his hands. "We've got to get out of here before anyone notices they're gone."

"Alright, I'm coming, I'm coming," another voice yelled back in annoyance. He ran right past me and I breathed out a sigh of relief. Too soon obviously, because he stopped abruptly and turned back to face me.

"Well shit, look what we've got here," he said, half surprised, half amused. He was younger than I'd expected, and admittedly pretty good looking. "Johnny, we've got ourselves a little glitch in our plan."

"What the hell are you tal-" the other man turned, cutting off as he saw me. His mouth twisted into a disturbing smile. "Well, looks like we'll be joined by another passenger, won't we?"

The young guy laughed and ran a hand through his hair. Before I could even move, he'd grabbed me. His arms were around my waist and he threw me over his shoulder like I weighed nothing. Then he was running and we were at the van and I hit the metal floor with a thud. Something was stuffed into my mouth and tied behind my head, muffling my attempts at screaming for help. My hands were tied with rough rope and pulled above my heads, wrapping around some kind of metal pole.

"Alright sweetheart," he stepped back, admiring his work. "Behave, and be nice to our little friends here, okay?"

The doors slammed shut and a moment later, the van lurched forwards. The sudden movement meant my head hit the side of the van, hard. My vision blurred for a second and when it cleared, I took the chance to look around me.

I definitely wasn't expecting to see five sets of eyes looking back at me. While I was completely frozen, they were moving around, writhing really. It didn't click what they were doing until one of the figures pulled away from the wall, yanking his gag from his mouth with his now free hands.

"I did it!" he said triumphantly. One of his companions lashed out to kick him in the shin, reminding him that they were still there. "Oh, crap. Sorry babe!"

He got to work freeing his five friends, one at a time. Once they were all free they sat there, rubbing at their wrists. I cleared my throat obviously, the sound getting muffled by my own gag. They all looked to me in surprise, obviously having forgotten I was there.

"Jesus, untie her Lou!" One of them said with a thick Irish accent. The one who got free first crawled over to crouch in front of me. He gently reached back to undo my gag. As it came out of my mouth, I gagged, trying to get the taste of the filthy fabric from my mouth. He got to work on my wrists, having a teensy bit of trouble.

"These knots are tight," he complained, yanking at them with a determined look on his face.

"Oh really?" I asked sarcastically. "I didn't notice that while they were cutting off the circulation in my wrists."

"Oh, feisty one, I see," he chuckled, finally getting the knots free. "I'm Louis by the way, Louis Tomlinson."

I froze, my mouth hanging open. Looking around, I took in my companions. The one beside me with the tousled brown hair and blue eyes, the one with the crazy head of curls, the one with the blonde hair and Irish accent, the one with the jet black quaff and dark eyes, and the one with the curls and chocolate eyes.

"Shit," I said, squeazing my eyes shut. "Shit! Holy shitballs on toast! You're them, oh jesus. You're One Direction. I just got kidnapped with One freaking Direction!"


	2. Welcome home

"Woah, calm down!" Louis held up his hands, trying to calm me. Yeah, good luck with that.

"How am I supposed to calm down? I'm in a freaking van, on my way to god knows where, with the most famous boy band in the world right now," I was starting to hyperventilate. I have a teensy problem with stress, you see, and situations like these bring it out times a million. Which makes it sound like I get into situations like this on a regular basis. Which I don't, if you were wondering.

"Hey, we were kidnapped too," the blonde one, Niall, said defensively.

At the word kidnapped, my breathing kicked it up a notch. I groaned and shut my eyes, leaning back against the wall. I wasn't getting enough air with each tiny breath, and it was taking its toll. My throat was tightening and my chest was aching.

"Oh shit, she's going to die on us," Louis said, panicking.

"Not helping at all Lou," Harry scolded him, coming forward and kneeling in front of me. "Love, can you hear me?" I nodded. He took my hands gently and held them in his own, massaging them with his thumbs. "Alright, I'm going to ask you some questions, and I want you to answer."

"Okay," I nodded again.

"What's your name?"

"Carter. Carter Wells," I choked out.

"Good, okay Carter, how old are you?" he asked, his voice gentle and soothing.

"I – I'm seventeen," I answered. "Wait, no, eighteen as of today."

"Well, happy birthday Carter Wells," he smiled. "Do you get panic attacks like this often?"

I nodded. "Since I was a kid."

"Alright, just keep listening to my voice, and focus on breathing – nice and slow," his voice was like a perfect rhythm, and I tried to keep my breaths in tune. In, out, in, out. Slowly, little by little, I got it back to a normal pace.

"Thanks," I said quietly, embarrassed by my little freak out.

"Not a problem," he shrugged, moving back to lean against the wall.

"So is there any reason you're in here with us?" Zayn asked. "You're not famous are you?"

"Nope," I had to laugh. "Just in the wrong place at the wrong time."

The van lurched once again and, without the rope holding me back, I went flying forward, finding myself in Louis' lap. He wrapped an arm around me to keep me steady as the doors slid open.

"Well, I guess we've got a bunch of escape artists on our hands," the older man chuckled, not seeming at all surprised to find us all freed of our bindings.

I felt Louis' arms tighten around me protectively. The younger guy appeared behind his companion and they stepped up into the van. The first thing they did was yank me from Louis restraining arms. The young guy pulled me close to him, wrapping one arm around my waist and using the other to hold a knife against my throat. I could feel the sharp metal digging into my skin.

"Now, are you going to be good little boys," the older man sneered. "Or will we have to make a mess of our pretty little friend here?"

The boys looked at each other before getting to their feet, filing out without a word.

"Good choice," they both laughed, directing us towards a flight of stairs up to a dingy looking flat. Once the door was open and the boys had filed in, the knife was removed and I was shoved forward, straight into Zayn's awaiting arms.

"You alright love?" he asked, setting me firmly on my feet.

"Fine," I nodded, rubbing at my neck. There was a line of blood, seeping from a shallow cut. Zayn pulled my fingers away, inspecting it himself. His fingers were careful and gentle, scared to hurt me.

"All of you against the wall," the older man ordered. "Now!"

We all scurried to stand against the wall. I found myself at the end of the line, next to Liam. The younger guy, I really needed to learn their names, started at one end, with Louis, and began searching his pockets. He pulled out his phone, his wallet, and anything else he came across. The other boys brought up similar results.

"We meet again, hey sweetheart?" he smirked, stopping in front of me. Instead of just searching my pockets like I expected, he slipped my jacket off my shoulders, then my jumper, peeling off my layers I'd adopted to keep out the cold. I was left in just my thin dress and tights. "Do I need to take these as well?" he asked with a wink, gesturing to my leftover clothes.

"Just get her phone, Declan," the older man sighed.

"Alright. You know you're such a fun sponge, right Johnny?" the young guy, Declan, laughed. He went through my jacket pockets, coming up with my iPod and some spare change, but no phone. "There's no phone here Johnny."

"It's got to be there somewhere," Johnny insisted.

Declan's eyes roamed over my body, seeking possible hiding spots. They lit up with another filthy smirk and he stepped forward.

"I don't have one," I said, trying to keep cool.

"Now, we both know that isn't true," he shook his head, mock disappointed. "So, will I have to get it, or will you?"

"I told you," I tried again. If I could just keep my phone, I could get us out, that was all that was running through my head. Stupid, I know. "I don't have one."

He sighed and yanked me forwards, spinning me so my back was pressed up against his chest. He slipped the straps of my dress off my shoulders, letting it fall to the floor. I was now standing there in just my bra, the bulge of my phone now obvious against the fabric. He tutted, shaking his head again.

"Leave her alone," one of the boys spoke up.

"Now, now boys," Declan said over his shoulder. "We have to learn to be honest with each other in this little relationship. And that starts with - what's your name babe?" he spoke in my ears, sending unnerving chills down my spine. I kept my mouth shut, stubbornly refusing to answer. He yanked on my hair, pulling it out of its perfect braid and making me yelp in pain.

"It's Carter!" Niall interjected desperately.

"See, the boys know how to behave," Declan pointed out. "Why can't you?"

With that, his hand went straight down into my bra, fishing out my phone and lingering there for longer than necessary. The brush of his fingers against my bare skin made me want to be sick. It was like I could still feel them there, even after they'd left.

I hadn't moved since he'd taken his hands off me, being jolted into movement by the slamming of the door.

"Shit," I cursed, surveying the room. "That fucking prick took my clothes."

I heard a laugh outside the door. I grabbed at the closest thing to me and threw it at the door.

_A.N: Here's another one because ya know I have no life and all. So I'm just sitting here watching Dexter and alternating between reading and writing fanfictions. _

_Oh and by the way, to any row 16 readers, sorry its been so long since I've updated but I had yet more technical difficulties and have to rewrite chapter 43. Sorry._

_So anyway, make sure you review, alert and all that stuff. And also, I'd love it if you could follow me on twitter AwkwardlyMavis_

_Love and Carrots_

_Maeve _


	3. Leverage

"Guys, TV!" Niall yelled excitedly, bringing the metallic box to life with a click of the remote.

"Turn on the news," Liam urged, joining him in front of the TV.

They flicked over the channel and a news broadcast appeared. I crouched beside them, pulling the sleeves of Liam's checked shirt down over my hands. It wasn't doing much to keep me warm, but it was better than what Declan had left me with.

"We have received breaking news," the boys shushed each other as the reporter began to speak. "The popular boy band, One Direction, have gone missing from their hotel earlier today. The band consists of five members, Harry Styles, Liam Payne, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan and Zayn Malik."

A picture of the band popped up on screen.

"Police are suspecting foul play and are asking that anyone who knows anything come forward immediately. We have been told that this is a priority case, and the police are working to their fullest extent to locate these musicians and return them home. Thank you, and goodnight."

"There you go boys," I mustered up a smile. "They'll find you in no time. How could they not, you're One Direction. You're a high priority."

I bit my lip to hold back tears, covering my face with my hair to hide from the boys.

"Oh, Carter, I'll bet they're trying just as hard to find you," Niall said, trying to be comforting.

"Thanks, but I'm sure they don't even know I'm missing," I laughed bitterly.

They all looked ready to disagree, but I was saved from their pity by the door swinging open, revealing our two newest friends. Okay, maybe saved is an understatement.

"It's bed time, kiddies," Johnny clapped his hands. Declan went through to an adjoining room and dumped a pile of pillows and blankets. "In there, now." We followed his pointing finger.

"There's only five blankets," I pointed out.

"You're welcome to share with me, babe," Declan winked.

"Yeah, I'll freeze," I muttered. He laughed as they shut the door behind them, the lock clicking into place.

They boys set up the pillows along one wall of the completely bare room, laying the threadbare blankets out like makeshift beds.

"You're welcome to share with me, babe," Louis mimicked, shooting me an exaggerated wink.

"I might have to take you up on that, babe," I shot back, ruffling his hair before I flopped onto one of the little set ups.

We all crawled under the blankets, pressing close together to stay warm. I found myself with my head on Louis chest, cozy between him and Harry. Getting between Larry Stylinson. Wow, way to fangirl.

Soon enough, the boys all drifted to sleep, and the room was filled with their steady breathing. But I couldn't make myself shut my eyes. I was scared. Terrified really. And I couldn't shake the thought of what could happen if I shut my eyes for even a moment. So I was awake when the hushed voices started up from the other side of the door.

"We're going to have to get started on the plan soon," Declan urged. "We're about to have the police breathing down our necks."

"Don't worry," Johnny's voice joined in. "We'll get our money. Five rich, famous pop stars, they'll give us the world to get them back. But…"

"But what?"

"What about the girl? She's nobody, are we really going to get anything for her?" My breathing hitched as they were discussing me. It's true, they wouldn't get anything for me. My parents wouldn't be able to afford to buy me back off these sickos. "She's just one more person to worry about. Why don't we cut our losses, and just get rid of her now?"

"Jesus Johnny, heavy much?" Declan sounded slightly surprised. "Besides, we could use her. You saw how ready those guys were to jump in and save her. They've known her for what, a few hours? If we've got her, we can get them to do whatever we want. And they say chivalry is dead."

Oh god, this is not good. Not good at all. I could feel myself tearing up. They were going to use me as leverage? Stupid psychotic kidnappers. Maybe more than kidnappers, if Johnny's willingness to dispose of me was anything to go by.

"Alright," Johnny laughed. "But this better not be about you having a little crush on her."

Declan laughed and their footsteps retreated. I buried my face in Louis' chest, curling tighter into his side. My throat tightened and I pushed out silent sobs, muffling the sounds so as to not wake the boys. Apparently I didn't do a very good job, because I felt a hand reach over to take my own, squeezing it reassuringly. A humming filled the room, playing out a familiar tune. I squeezed the hand back, focusing all my attention on the gentle music until it once again petered out into the steady rhythm of a sleeper's breath.

I still didn't sleep, and when the doors opened again I was as awake as ever. The boys stirred and I put on an act of waking up myself. No point in showing them how messed up they've got me.

"Good morning darlings," Declan said cheerfully. "Into the living room for breakfast."

We all pushed ourselves to our feet, all except Zayn, who was dead to the world.

"Good luck with that, mate," Harry chuckled, smirking at him as we passed.

"Whatever, he can go hungry," Declan shrugged, following us out.

We all sat down to be presented with a chipped plate and a piece of buttered toast. I looked down at it, wrinkling my nose involuntarily.

"What's the problem sweetheart? Eat up."

"I can't," he raised his eyebrow questioningly. "I'm lactose intolerant."

"Well that's a bit too bad, isn't it?" He got up to leave.

"Wait, you have to feed her," Niall argued. Declan froze with his hand on the doorframe.

"I just did." The door swung shut behind him with a bang.

_A.N: Hi guise. How's it going? So yeah I've kind of sat around all day watching Dexter, writing fanfiction and drinking lemon cordial. But whatever, you got three chapters in one day. Whoop whoop._

_SO yeah, for starters. THANK YOU SO MUCH TO EVERYONE WHO READ AND REVIEWED. Like seriously, this has been up for a few hours, and I've already had some amazaynly nice messages from all of you. You guys literally make my day, and don't forget it. I love each and every one of you._

_Keep it up, I love knowing what you guys think._

_Love and carrots  
Maeve _


	4. I Spy with my little eye

"I spy with my little eye," Louis said thoughtfully. "Something beginning with T."

"TV," Niall replied, bored. "We already had that one, Lou."

"Guys, there's a total of about six objects in this room, and you've been playing for fifteen minutes," I pointed out. I was sprawled across the motley carpet, drawing patterns on my arms with a pen I found under the couch. "How is that even possible."

"Well, let's play something else then," Zayn suggested. "Why don't we get to know each other a little better?"

"Really?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. "We're being held hostage in a flea-bag apartment building, and you want to play, what 20 questions?"

"Yeah, pretty much," he shrugged. Hell, why not. We all gathered in a circle, taking it in turns to ask questions.

"So Carter," Harry started. "What were you doing on that corner yesterday?" Okay, getting straight into it I see.

"I was walking home," I answered simply.

"Seems like a pretty risky shortcut to take," I just shrugged, nothing I wasn't used to.

"Well, how does the hottest boy band of the moment manage to get themselves kindapped?" I shot back. "Don't you guys have pretty tight security?"

"Well you see," Harry coughed, suddenly embarrassed. "We sort of uh… snuck out."

"We were sick of being cooped up all day," Louis explained. "So we just, you know left. Bad move, obviously."

"And you got snatched up by the big bad meanies," I teased them. Lou stuck out his tongue at me and I gave him a cheeky grin.

"Tell us about your family," Niall spoke up and the boys all nodded their agreement.

"Um, okay," I started. "Well, I live with my parents, and my older brother. We live in the city, um… I have two dogs. All my other relatives live out of the country, America mostly. That's it really."

"That was a lovely little story," Declan's sleezy voice came from behind me. I hadn't even realized he was there. "I brought you all some clean clothes. I know, I know, I'm too kind."

He handed out piles of clothes to everyone. Old, holey trackies, t-shirts and hoodies for the boys, and for me – are you serious? A cropped singlet and a mini skirt. I shot him a disbelieving look and he only winked back. Jackass.

"I'll leave you to it then."

Luckily not all males are total pigs, and I had the fortune to be trapped with five of the most chivalrous males possible. Harry's jumper was long enough to cover everything I needed covering, and despite its less than new state, it was incredibly warm.

We turned on the TV for our regular news check. The story of One Direction's disappearance was all anyone could talk about, but so far they'd come up with nothing. The same reporter appeared before us, retelling the basic details. But just as she was repeating the number for the helpline, she was interrupted.

"What are you doing?" the reporter said sharply to the young man who had attempted to steal her microphone. I gasped as I recognized him, scooting as close as possible to the screen.

"My sister is missing," he told the camera, ignoring her question. "She went missing yesterday morning, but nobody gives a shit because of this stupid boy band. Her name is Carter Wells -"

He was cut off as a burly guy started to drag her away.

"Please, you have to find her," he screamed desperately. "She's only eighteen, please!"

"We apologise for that interruption," the reporter regained control.

"Turn it off," I choked out. The boys just sat there, staring at me. "Turn it off! Now!" They fumbled to get the remote and switch off the power.

"Carter, was that…" Liam trailed off, not knowing what to say.

"My brother," I nodded. "Hayden." I could feel a lump in my throat. My big brother was still looking out for me, like always.

"Carter," Harry broke a long silence that had settled. "We're sorry." I looked up at him in surprise. He looked so sad it was heartbreaking.

"Why?" I asked, confused.

"Well, you know," Niall spoke up. "Because we're… you know, famous. Like your brother said everyone's so focused on finding us, other people, like you, aren't getting the police's attention like they should. So, we're sorry."

"Oh you guys," I tackled them with a hug. They were so sweet, not what you'd expect from five famous teenagers.

It was another sleepless night, in between two warm male bodies. We'd been bid goodnight with a promise of action tomorrow. The apparently big plan was to begin, and we, well the boys, were going to make our captors very, very rich. I started a game in my head, to distract myself from how tired I was. I began listing every single thing I knew was absolutely true.

_My name is Carter Wells._

_I'm eighteen years old. _

_My parents are Rebecca and Nicholas Wells._

_I have a brother, Hayden. _

_He's the one person in the world I can always count on. _

_He's most likely the one person who actually cares that I'm gone._

_I've been kidnapped._

_I was in the wrong place in the wrong time. _

_I'm being held captive with a boy band._

_They might actually care what happens to me._

_Nobody is really looking for me._

_**A.N: heeeeeeeey, so yeah, this is a bit of a shorter chapter for you guys, and it's kind of a filler**_

_**But anywho, please review, I'll love you forever. I'd love to know what you think will/should happen in this story, because I'm not entirely sure yet. I'm not too good at planning stories out before I begin. **_

_**Love and carrots,  
Maeve **_


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